Beak and feather disease?

[Galahgeorgie]

I live in Australia, NSW, and there's plenty galahs/cockatoos/Corellas around. I have a young male galah myself. My neighbours cat just caught what looks like a young corella and they're currently keeping it in their front yard. There were a lot of feathers around and the bird doesn't seem to be able to fly because it doesn't (yet?) have flight feathers. I saw one of the feathers that came out and it has a dark tip. Is this because it may have been forcefully plugged by the cat or could it be a sign of disease? Anyone has any experience with this? I don't have any say in what they do with the bird and am worried about my bird as he spends some time in an outdoor aviary, if there's the beak and feathers disease around. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[LaManuka]

I live in Australia, NSW, and there's plenty galahs/cockatoos/Corellas around. I have a young male galah myself. My neighbours cat just caught what looks like a young corella and they're currently keeping it in their front yard. There were a lot of feathers around and the bird doesn't seem to be able to fly because it doesn't (yet?) have flight feathers. I saw one of the feathers that came out and it has a dark tip. Is this because it may have been forcefully plugged by the cat or could it be a sign of disease? Anyone has any experience with this? I don't have any say in what they do with the bird and am worried about my bird as he spends some time in an outdoor aviary, if there's the beak and feathers disease around. Any advice would be appreciated.

Welcome to the forums, @Galahgeorgie. I think the issue here is a two-pronged one. The first is the issue of this corella possibly having been wounded by that cat. Cats carry bacteria in their claws and teeth, and the slightest scratch or bite can be lethal to birds. Therefore I would strongly suggest they take this bird to an avian vet, of which there are several very good ones in NSW. The vet may treat the bird free of charge if it's a wild one and your neighbours elect to surrender it to them. Or they could contact WIRES wildlife rescue and rehab, who can take the bird and care for it and should also be able to assess the bird for possible wounds from the cat. They are contactable Australia-wide through www.wires.org.au. You can also find a list of Avian vets in Australia via the link below ...

Avian Vet Resources

After a suggestion by a member, @Abu Colo, the Mod Team decided to create a list of veterinarians around the world who see birds. This was something we had discussed a few years ago, but the task seemed so large that we didn't get very far. However, the need is there and we decided that the time...

www.parrotforums.com

In terms of possible beak and feather disease, this can be a very contagious disease so if you think the corella may be affected by it you'll need to take precautions in relation to safeguarding the health of your own bird. Changing clothes and showering after contact is the best way to go, or better still do not have contact with it at all. Really I would have to recommend that for the best interests of the corella, particularly if it's a wild one, that it's surrendered either to an avian vet or WIRES who are in the best position to be able to help it.

 

[Galahgeorgie]

Thank you for the reply. The neighbour doesn't really communicate with anyone so I doubt I could talk her into taking the poor bird anywhere. I'll probably keep my own bird indoors for a while and avoid contact with any of the wild ones around here just in case there's some diseases going around.

 

[LaManuka]

Thank you for the reply. The neighbour doesn't really communicate with anyone so I doubt I could talk her into taking the poor bird anywhere. I'll probably keep my own bird indoors for a while and avoid contact with any of the wild ones around here just in case there's some diseases going around.

I'm sorry to hear that your neighbour probably won't seek help Here's a good article about psittacine beak and feather disease, it may help you to protect your own bird and may even give information that you can pass on to your neighbour ...

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease Syndrome (PBFDS or PBFD)

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease Syndrome (PBFDS) can infect all species of parrots. PBFD is highly contagious and sadly, is often fatal.

currumbinvetservices.com.au

Thank you for caring, and I wish you the best of luck!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thank you for the reply. The neighbour doesn't really communicate with anyone so I doubt I could talk her into taking the poor bird anywhere. I'll probably keep my own bird indoors for a while and avoid contact with any of the wild ones around here just in case there's some diseases going around.

If the wild corella was even slightly injured by the cat it will likely die of infection pretty quickly. If it's still alive days later, it probably wasn't bitten or scratched.

If I had an outdoor aviary, I would be worried about wild birds giving my birds diseases like PBFD, bird flu, and parasites, not to mention the predators that would kill my birds (or let them escape) if they could damage the aviary and get inside.
Where I live the winters are much too harsh for an outdoor aviary.

 

[Galahgeorgie]

In case anyone wants an update, I was able to take the corella to the vet myself and will be keeping it (safely away from my bird) while awaiting test results re pbfd. Other than some missing feathers, the vet did not find anything wrong with it and it's quite tame for a wild bird.

 

[LaManuka]

In case anyone wants an update, I was able to take the corella to the vet myself and will be keeping it (safely away from my bird) while awaiting test results re pbfd. Other than some missing feathers, the vet did not find anything wrong with it and it's quite tame for a wild bird.

Hoping that the test comes back negative! If he's fairly tame he might just be an escaped pet, so it could be worth listing him on www.parrotalert.com. You can also check it to see if someone has reported him missing

 

[DonnaBudgie]

What a cutie! I agree with @LaManuka that it may be an escaped pet. Only the weakest and very youngest wild birds tolerate human handling. Obviously it has no band. Do pet parrots need to be banded in Australia?

What are you going to do with him after he fully recovers? Are people allowed to keep wild caught native birds as pets in Australia? Here in the US they aren't. My husband wants a pet owl and I have to remind him it's illegal. We aren't even allowed to keep a wild bird and nurture it back to health, and most avian (pet bird) vets won't treat a wild bird. We must surrender it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Don't get me wrong- I'm not the wild caught bird police! Just curious.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Best wishes. KEEP US POSTED!